Travel Guides

Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng)

The Dragon Boat festival commemorates the death of a national
hero, Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in protest against the corrupt
rulers of the 3rd century. Legend has it that the villagers threw
rice dumplings into the river and beat drums to scare the fish away
from his body in an attempt to rescue him. There are many
variations of this myth but the main festival activities today
bring to mind the event. Rice dumplings are eaten and teams of
local and international racers compete in fast and furious dragon
boat races to the pounding of drums, as well as competing in
various other water-based activities. The elaborately carved,
brightly painted dragon boats are the highlight of the festivities,
combining heritage, sport and spectacle. It has become quite a
prestigious sporting event and teams come from foreign countries
and clubs to compete. Recently the event attracted nearly 5,000
athletes, representing 180 clubs and 20 countries. The Dragon Boat
Festival is also a huge party and the Victoria Harbour event
attracts around 400,000 spectators all intent on a good time. The
festivities in Victoria Harbour are the main event in Hong Kong,
but the festival is celebrated all over China and some races are
held in rivers in the New Territories as well.